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Google AI Ultra

(blog.google)
320 points mfiguiere | 5 comments | 20 May 25 18:20 UTC | HN request time: 0.823s | source
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Workaccount2 ◴[20 May 25 19:25 UTC] No.44044983[source]▶
I suspect Google sees the writing on the wall, and needs to move to a more subscription based business model. I don't think the ad model of the internet is dead, but I also don't think it was particularly successful. People block ads rather than forgo those services, ads conditioned people to think everything on the internet is free, and the actual monetization of ad views makes people pretty uncomfortable.

So here we are, with Google now wading into the waters of subscriptions. It's a good sign for those who are worried about AI manipulating them to buy things, and a bad sign for those who like the ad model.

Is the future going to be everyone has an AI plan, just like a phone plan, or internet plan, that they shell out $30-$300/mo to use?

I honestly would greatly prefer it if it meant privacy, but many people seem to greatly prefer the ad-model or ad-subsidized model.

ETA: Subscription with ads is ad-subsidized. You pay less but watch more ads.

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1. Etheryte ◴[20 May 25 19:30 UTC] No.44045030[source]▶
I think this is a bit too rose tinted glasses. Being a paying customer doesn't necessarily mean you won't get ads, look at Netflix for a start. Their cheapest paid tier still gets ads. The subscription model will be an addition to the ad revenue, not a replacement.
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2. ljm ◴[20 May 25 19:53 UTC] No.44045254[source]▶
It should mean that though.

Ads are well and truly the cancer on the service industry.

It’s an outright abuse to force ads and then make you pay for the bandwidth of those ads on your own plan to render them.

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3. MichaelZuo ◴[20 May 25 19:55 UTC] No.44045276[source]▶
How does this relate to the parent?

I don’t there was a claim that nobody would ever offer a partially subscription partially ad funded service.

4. pc86 ◴[20 May 25 20:13 UTC] No.44045435[source]▶
Anyone can say A should mean B, that doesn't mean it's obviously true.

Very few services still commercially viable today actually force ads - meaning there is no paid tier available that removes them entirely.

I don't particularly like ads but this idea that any advertisement at any point for any good or service is by definition a cancer is a fringe idea, and a pretty silly one at that.

5. myko ◴[20 May 25 20:54 UTC] No.44045825[source]▶
Google used to let you pay a flat rate to avoid (most) of their ads. It was nice. This program was, of course, canceled.